The new Corsa originally sat on a GM platform, but it will ultimately be a PSA product.

[UPDATE, February 13] 17 fresh spy shots have been added at the beginning of the gallery, below.

Sticking to General Motors underpinnings would’ve meant paying a license fee, which is why PSA decided to go back to the drawing board and start development of the new Opel/Vauxhall Corsa from scratch. As a result, the new supermini will ride on the same Common Modular Platform (CMP) as the next-gen Peugeot 208 and that will obviously open up the possibility to implement cost-cutting measures since the two superminis will share many of the oily bits.

Here we have what we believe is the sixth-generation Corsa carrying the full production body, although there’s not much to see because of the heavy camouflage applied by Opel. The black steel wheels without hubcaps don’t do the subcompact hatchback any justice, but with this being only a prototype, it’s not that uncommon and the car will look a lot better in final guise.

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Underneath the disguise should be an all-new design as previewed by the sharp GT X Experimental concept unveiled last year. Even though it will switch to entirely new underpinnings, it is believed the 2020 Corsa will have roughly the same size as the current model. We are not surprised by the fact our spies caught on camera the five-door model taking into account the three-door variant is unlikely to come back. We’ve seen this trend with other superminis, and it will be a similar story with the Corsa’s French sibling.

While conventionally powered versions will likely employ PSA’s latest turbocharged three-cylinder PureTech engine with a 1.2-liter displacement, there will also be a zero-emissions variant that will go by the name of eCorsa. Already confirmed by the Rüsselsheim marque, the electric hatch will ride on the e-CMP platform set to be used by an assortment of EVs within the PSA Group.

The regular Corsa is expected to debut sometime this year, with its eco-friendly counterpart being readied for a 2020 launch.